Watford Away 24th August. Let’s start the Bank Holiday with a Bang!

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

OldCastleSwift said:

We have our big players back.

Watford are missing theirs.

Most things point to a West Ham win.

And yet...

I would normally agree, yet the experts point to a Watford win, so I am confident!

Speaking of which, has he backed Liverpool to win in his predictions? Ah yes, so he has.

Twonk.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Hamstew said:

Because of their start the six pointer coming up after our game and the hard games after that.

But that doesn’t make it ‘must’ win. They could lose this and a couple of games after it and still finish anywhere.

We lost our first 4 games last year and could easily have finished 7th.

Lukerz

It’s must win because that’s the mentality any professional footballer should approach a game with.

We played away at Spurs last season like it was a season defining game. We played away at Cardiff like ‘well there’s always next week’.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Lukerz said:

It’s must win because that’s the mentality any professional footballer should approach a game with.

We played away at Spurs last season like it was a season defining game. We played away at Cardiff like ‘well there’s always next week’.

But we aren’t professional footballers, so why would we be talking about it as a must-win?

Of course the players should be focused on winning. But the fans talking about it being must-win isn’t at all connected to the players’ mentality. It’s just pure hyperbole.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

OldCastleSwift said:

Lukerz said:

OldCastleSwift said:

We have our big players back.

Watford are missing theirs.

Most things point to a West Ham win.

And yet...

I would normally agree, yet the experts point to a Watford win, so I am confident!

Speaking of which, has he backed Liverpool to win in his predictions? Ah yes, so he has.

Twonk.

I think I read that he hasn’t predicted Liverpool to lose for something like two years.

Lukerz

No not from my viewpoint. It’s only must win in the context of a scenario. It we want 4 points by the end of today, it’s must-win. If we want to move up several places in the table, it’s must-win. In the context of the season, depending on what our aims are, it’s not must-win.

I am not talking about my view. I am saying the players should be turning up today thinking ‘nothing less than 3 points’, the equivalent of a ‘must-win’.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

So it’s a must win if our aim for the day is to win the game? Agreed...

grey_til_I_dye

Lukerz

But as Jorderz pointed out, there are at least two meanings to 'must win'.

I agree, I would expect our players to go into every game expecting to give their all, and do everything they can to win.

However, when fans say 'must win', ' otherwise it's a disaster/we're doomed' is usually implicit.

I'm in with the first definition, but not the second.

Lukerz

But I’m not saying it’s a disaster.

I’m saying the mentality needs to be ‘we must win this game’. That way we go into it giving everything to win it.

I hate the mentality ‘it’s not must-win as we have another 35 games’.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

But do you think that’s a useful mentality for the fans to have?

I think we all agree we want the players to think that way, otherwise they run the risk of losing their competitive edge.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Anyway, 1-3. Haller x2 and Lanzini.

grey_til_I_dye

Lukerz

Then we're not disagreeing.

You are asking for the first definition, which I think we would all expect.

What some of us are arguing against is the second definition.

Hamstew

Welll I never mentioned the fans saying it's a must win. Their manager will certainly see it as a must win imo. Especially as we have a habit of being extremely soft centered at times.

Lukerz

Ex says there are some players who make their first starts of the season today? :hmm:

Nobes & Yarmolenko?

Fabianski
Fredericks - Balbuena - Diop - Masuaku
Rice - Noble
Yarmolenko - Lanzini - Anderson
Haller

Maybe?

MrsGrey

I'd be surprised if Nobes is fit to start.

Lukerz

Noble will start if passed fit. He’ll demand it.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Demand it?

Lukerz

???

We know what Nobes is like. If he is fit he will want to start. That’s what I mean. He will know his body & we need him in the side. I’m certain Pelle will too.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

He’ll say he wants to play, yeah.

I don’t think he’ll be going to Pelle and making demands :puzzled:

Lukerz

No he won’t but he will play is what I mean.

IronHerb

Johnson for Fredericks maybe?

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Or Fornals starting, maybe?

Edit: Just remembered he started last week.

Adam

I’m sure Masuaku will start.

Hamstew

Apparently ogbonna starts :doh:

Hamstew

Fabianski, Fredericks, Ogbonna, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Noble, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Anderson and Haller.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Good side, apart from Ogbonna instead of Balbuena. Don't really understand that.

But forward line is about as good as it gets.

OldCastleSwift

Wilshere not even on the bench.

Fitness issue, you would assume.

Oh, and Ogbonna starting? Not the right call, IMO.

alderz

I cannot believe Balbuena is being kept out of the team by Ogbonna

SuzanneClaret

I don’t understand that either or why, unless Balbuena is injured, you’d keep changing the CB paring. It makes no sense.

MrsGrey

One can only assume Oggy is ripping it up in training.